A Christmas Visitor
by Knight Writer 95
Summary: It's Christmas Eve, two years after the death of Gadget Hackwrench's father. When she returns to the bomber she calls home, Gadget finds she has an unexpected visitor, one who will help change her life for the better.


A Christmas Visitor

The storm clouds that had begun to gather earlier that day and threatened to unleash their fury had started doing so by the time Gadget Hackwrench got back to the rusty old bomber she called home. The young inventor mouse had left earlier that windy winter day to visit her father's grave as was her annual tradition during the holidays. She didn't celebrate Christmas. Not anymore. Not since her father's death in a plane crash on Christmas Day. That was almost two years ago now and this Christmas brought about painful memories as had the one before it. Gadget approached the broken landing gear and climbed up to enter the wreck before the weather got any worse.

When she did, she discovered that every single one of her traps had been sprung. As Gadget made her way through, she discovered some droplets of blood trailing away from the last trap, a knife that dropped from the ceiling. Her eyes followed the trail until she finally saw another mouse farther back in the plane, huddling near a small fire. Feeling slightly scared, Gadget grabbed a nearby wrench and silently approached the mystery mouse. However, she inadvertently tripped over one of the pieces of scrap metal lying near her workbench and landed with one loud crash that startled the mouse she was attempting to sneak up on. He jumped six inches into the air and turned around but visibly relaxed when he saw it was only a girl.

"Blimey, I was beginnin' ta wonder when whoever lived 'ere was gonna return. There's one 'eck of a storm comin' in after all," he smiled genuinely.

The mouse in question was a bit taller than Gadget and spoke with a distinct British accent. There was a kindly sparkle in his eyes, and he had an air about him that instantly put one as ease. His clothes, while nice, looked well-worn and a bit frayed. All in all, the stranger looked like a merry hobo. He grinned nicely as he leaned down to help Gadget back to her feet.

"There we go then, lass. Are you all right?"

"Yes, thank you. I'm fine," Gadget answered as she examined him more closely.

It looked like she had missed nothing in her initial assessment of the intruder but at second glance she noticed the slight patches of discoloration on his clothes as well as signs of multiple repairs. Nothing, however, indicated that he was a danger to her. "Who are you and how did you get past all my traps?"

"Ta answer yer firs' question, the name's Charlie Benson. As fer yer second question, it weren't easy." Charlie indicated where a slightly bloodstained bandage had been wrapped around his leg.

"Golly! Does it hurt? I mean my traps are just meant to scare people away and not actually harm anyone. Is there anything you need?" she asked immediately with no small amount of guilt.

"No, I'm fine. I got it properly dressed, I assure ya," smiled Charlie as he eased back down into a sitting position, "Although, that there's gonna smart for a while. Anyway, care for a cup of hot chocolate, luv?"

"Excuse me?"

"Hot chocolate, do ya want any?" he asked again and pointed to the fire over which was a small pot releasing a delicious aroma into the air.

"Sure, I could probably use some," Gadget agreed as she sat down across from Charlie.

Charlie took the pot off of the fire and removed two tin mugs from a rucksack that Gadget hadn't noticed before. He poured the steaming liquid into the two receptacles and sprinkled something in them before handing one to Gadget.

"Thank you. What did you add?" she questioned as she took a sniff.

"Cinnamon, it really adds to the flavor I find. It's a tip I picked up when passing through Mexico on ma way ta California around this time last year."

"Sounds like you've been to quite a few places," she commented as she took a sip of the offered drink. "Golly! I've never had hot chocolate like this before! The cinnamon really makes a difference."

"I know, I never make hot chocolate without it now," laughed Charlie. "What's yer name?"

"My name's Gadget. Gadget Hackwrench."

"It's a pleasure to make yer acquaintance, Gadget," said Charlie with a slight bow.

"What brings you here, Charlie?" inquired Gadget after another sip of the scrumptious hot chocolate.

"I'm passin' through on ma way to see some family for the holidays. I 'aven't seen 'em since I set out on ma little sojourn a might over a year and a half ago now."

At the mention of family Gadget's face fell slightly and Charlie did not miss it.

"You all right, luv?"

"I'm... fine. It's just that... I don't have anyone to spend the holidays with," she admitted sadly.

"What? Someone as beautiful as you and yer all alone on Christmas?"

A faint blush tinted Gadget's cheeks as she replied. "Unfortunately, I am alone. I have no other family that I know of and there isn't anyone else around for a considerable distance. Daddy was the only family I knew. He passed away two years ago tomorrow."

"I'm sorry ta hear that. From the way your face just lifted a might he must'a been a great father."

"He was a great father. I remember when I was learning to ride a bike that I was so nervous but he stayed behind me and kept encouraging me, even after I ran into a tree root and ended up with my face in the ground. That's the one word I'd use to describe him... encouraging. I have a mind bashingly high IQ so I build stuff to keep from getting bored as you can see. Daddy would always encourage me to build and invent, even after one of my inventions nearly destroyed the bomber. He never stopped encouraging me."

"He sounds like he were a fine man, one I'd 'ave liked ta know," said Charlie as he emptied his mug. He wiped it out with a cloth and put it down before rummaging through the rucksack again.

"What are you looking for?" inquired Gadget.

"A book. It's a tradition a mine ta read it every Christmas Eve and you've probably heard of it. It's called _A Christmas Carol_."

Gadget perked up immediately at the mention of the Dicken's classic. "Daddy used to read the same book to me on Christmas!"

"Did he now? Yer dad had good taste," Charlie grinned as he pulled out the old hardback volume. "How'd ya like ta hear it?"

"I..." Gadget paused, a wave of old memories coming to her mind for the first time in over a year. She swallowed but looked up with joy in her watery eyes as she answered, "I think I'd like that very much."

"Ok, here we go," Charlie cleared his throat. "Marley was dead. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the sole mourner, Scrooge signed it..."

"... Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did _not _die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, as good a man as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough in the good old world. It was said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that truly be said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!"

Charlie closed the book and looked at Gadget, whose eyes were bright with unshed tears. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to the young inventor, asking, "Ya all right, luv?"

Gadget accepted the handkerchief and wiped her eyes before answering. "I'm fine, I'm just having a flood of memories of daddy reading me that book every year at Christmas. It was our tradition, and this is the most I've thought of him since he passed. I guess it's just all bit... much..." Gadget broke down at that moment. The tears fell freely, and Charlie pulled her into a hug that she greatly accepted. They stayed that way for over a minute, Charlie never saying a word through all of it. When the tears dried up, Charlie smiled comfortingly.

"Ya feel better now?"

"I... I do..." admitted Gadget as she handed Charlie's handkerchief back to him.

"That's good. Ya needed that, to just let out all a' yer emotions like that. There's nothing wrong with it. Ya were close to yer father and when ya lost him, it hurt. Ya just need ta grieve, that's all. It's nothing ta be ashamed about. There will be days where it feels like he's been gone forever, and others where it will feel like ya just lost 'im yesterday. When those days come, don't be afraid to cry."

"Did you lose someone, too?" asked Gadget.

Charlie smiled an enigmatic smile and said, "Gadget, luv, sooner or later everybody looses somebody."

Suddenly, Gadget was aware of how tired she was. She looked at the clock that was atop the clutter of spare parts on her work bench. It was approaching midnight.

"I didn't realize that it was so late," she said as she rubbed her eyes which felt as if a very heavy weight were pulling them closed.

"It is late," agreed Charlie as he looked out the bomber cockpit. "And look at that, the blizzard's over as well."

Indeed, the blizzard that had driven Gadget and Charlie to take shelter had run its course. Charlie jumped up and ran to the window to get a better look at the fresh fallen snow.

"Wouldja look at that," he murmured as Gadget came up behind him.

The snow on the ground had covered everything. Everything familiar had disappeared. The world appeared brand new. The snow that was still falling was now drifting down lazily and there was a patch in the clouds that allowed the moon to peek through, bathing the fresh fallen snow in an ethereal light that was reflected and gave the land a glow unlike anything else. It was one of the most beautiful things she had seen. The two mice sat at the window, just staring at the winter splendor in front of them, content. A grin graced Gadget's face as she nestled into Charlie's shoulder and her eyelids started to droop.

After a while, Charlie let loose a mighty yawn and looked at Gadget. He smiled gently when he saw that the young inventor had fallen asleep, a small grin still on her face. Charlie took off his coat and draped it over Gadget. He settled down and glanced at his watch. It was 12:00, midnight. Christmas Day.

"Merry Christmas, Gadget," he whispered.

* * *

Gadget yawned and stretched out before blearily sitting up. It took her mind a second, but she suddenly remembered everything that had happened after she returned to the bomber last evening.

"Charlie!" she whispered and bolted to her feet. The fire that he had made was extinguished and had she not seen it, Gadget would not have believed there had been a fire there at all. The ashes and burnt and charred stumps of wood had been cleaned up. Charlie was nowhere to be seen. A sadness permeated Gadget's body and she felt like she wanted to curl up and cry again.

She was about to when she heard someone whistling 'Good King Wenceslas.' At the entrance to the bomber, Charlie walked back in, whistling his tune and carrying some wood for another fire.

"Mornin' Gadget, and Merry Christmas!" he greeted with his usual cheer when he saw her up. "I 'ad hoped ta have anotha fire started by the time ya woke up. Can ya believe that I found some wood out there that was still dry?"

Gadget ran to Charlie and hugged him fiercely.

"Woah there, luv. What's all this then? Surely ya didnae think I'd leave wit'out saying g'bye first."

"For a few seconds I thought you had," she answered honestly.

"Well that would be right ungentlemanly of me now, wouldn't it? C'mon, I'll make us a pot of coffee."

Charlie soon had another fire crackling merrily over which he set a pot to brew the coffee he had promised. When it was ready, and Gadget took a sip, she perked up and looked at her guest who smiled at her and said, "It's from Colombia. I picked some up from a market on the Mexican border."

"It's the best coffee I've ever had."

"Don't I know it," Charlie grinned back as he took a sip of his coffee.

The two mice sat there in comfortable silence, just drinking their coffee and occasionally glancing out the bomber window at the fresh fallen snow as it was bathed in the early morning light. Finally, Charlie got up again and went to pull something pull something out of his rucksack. He produced a box that had some pastries, a small block of cheese, bacon, and some diced fruit.

"Do ya 'ave any plates, Gadget?" he enquired as he plopped the bacon on a pan over the fire, releasing tantalizing scents into the air. Minutes later the pair were enjoying a mouth wateringly delicious and satisfying breakfast. However, all good things must come to an end, and all too soon for Gadget's liking, Charlie had to go.

"All right," he murmured as he cast his gaze around the bomber one last time. "I believe that's ev'ryting ah mine packed. Time I was movin' along."

"Do you really have to?" Gadget asked quietly, only just keeping a waver out of her voice as here eyes filled with unshed tears.

Charlie looked Gadget in the eyes and smiled his calming smile as he engulfed her in one last hug. "I'm sorry, luv, but I gotta. I'm not accustomed ta staying in one place fer long. Don't you worry, though. If I'm ever in the area again, ya have my word I'll drop by. T'would be right ungentlemanly of me not to, if ya ask me."

Gadget sniffled and tightened her embrace before reluctantly and hesitantly letting go. Charlie hefted his rucksack over his shoulders, turned his coat collar up, and prepared to hop out of the plane and continue on his trek.

"Wait!" exclaimed Gadget suddenly. "There's something I want you take…"

She disappeared into the depths of the wreck for a minute. When she returned, she was carrying something long and white with her.

"I want you to take this," she explained as she offered it to Charlie. "It was my dad's, but now it's yours if you want it."

Charlie unwrapped what he was given and found that it was a white scarf, like the one's aviators wore. This time, it was his eyes that became watery as he looked down at the gift that surely meant a great deal to the young woman who had gifted it to him. "Gadget, luv, thank you…"

The thanks expressed was genuine. That much was evident in his voice and body language as he hugged Gadget again, and this time, placed a gentle, tender kiss on the young inventor's cheek. Gadget stood perfectly still as Charlie wrapped the scarf around his neck, said one last goodbye, and hopped down the landing gear and into the snow. When Gadget's senses returned to her, she darted to the cockpit window to watch Charlie's retreating form continually shrinking until he disappeared into the horizon. She continued to watch the spot where Charlie had disappeared from view for an indeterminable amount of time until, with a deep inhale, she turned back to the inside of the old war plane. The gloom she felt was short lived, though, and hope that Charlie would keep his word and see her again replaced it. As she walked to her workbench, Gadget felt motivation like she hadn't felt since her father's death. There was a project her father had been working on with her that she hadn't touched since that fateful day. Today, though, she felt as though it had been long enough. It was time to finish it, in honor of father.

It was time to finish the Screaming Eagle.

* * *

A/N: Merry Christmas to one and all, and a Happy New Year!


End file.
